Why Moving to the No. 2 Spot Can Make Sense

When an opportunity arises to make a professional career change, several factors must be considered. For me, the decision about taking a new job revolves around three fundamental aspects — title, role and responsibility.

At different stages in a professional journey, one of those factors may weigh more heavily than another, depending on the circumstances that surround the decision.

My career path as a public school educator followed a typical trajectory as I moved from the classroom to building administration to a district-level position. At that point, while working as a curriculum director, I first began thinking about becoming a superintendent. In 2009, I accepted a position to lead in a small, suburban district with about 2,000 students.

Wide-Ranging Duties

At that point, the title of superintendent represented the level of leadership I had achieved and the influence I could have in a school district and community. It marked a significant change in the level of responsibility knowing I was working with a board of education and community leaders to govern our district.

As a superintendent, I was involved in the political aspects of a school district as well as every department I had never had to worry about previously — student transportation, budgeting, operations and facilities maintenance, etc. With a great team of colleagues, I learned the role, but as every new superintendent knows, the curve can be steep.

After serving in the superintendency for three years, a new opportunity in a larger district came to my attention, and it would mean a change in title, role and responsibility. In considering the move, I weighed these factors:

» TITLE.I would be moving from superintendent to associate superintendent.

» ROLE.I would be supervising instruction mostly, and no longer overseeing human resources, operations and several other departments.

» RESPONSIBILITY.My responsibilities would increase due to the size of the district, the number of people I would supervise and the importance of my job closely related to the success of the superintendent and the district.

Gauging Fit

In considering a possible departure from the superintendency, I asked myself several questions to determine if this move would enable me to have the level of impact that supported my core purpose:

» Would this job allow me to continue serving the most people for the most good? Yes, I would now impact the education of 42,000 students in the state’s second-largest city rather than 2,000 in a much smaller community.

» Would the experience I gained as a superintendent serve me well in this position? Yes, I fully understood the relationship between the superintendent and the board of education, and I knew I could interact well with board members in my new role, as well as support the superintendent from a district perspective.

» Do I care more about the title than the role? No. While I enjoyed being the superintendent, my ego didn’t depend on the title, and my level of influence on teaching and learning would be significant in this new role.

» Could I handle the increased level of responsibility? Yes. Because of my experience as a superintendent, I recognized the intense pressure that accompanies increased responsibility and knew I could handle it in collaboration with a strong executive team.

Options Open

After thinking through these questions, I decided to take the associate superintendent role. I am thankful I had the experience of the superintendency because it has served me well in so many ways. It also helped me understand the significance of this role as it relates to the success of my superintendent. It has allowed me to continue serving students in the ways that matter most to me while learning from one of the best superintendents in the nation.

At some point, I may choose to return to the superintendent role, and I will be able to do so with even more skill, experience and resilience due to my role as the associate superintendent.